Game Profile

In this sprawling action-RPG, Mario may be two-dimensional but his adventure is anything but thin! Paper Mario brilliantly blends the heroic plumber's platform antics with a hilarious quest full of offbeat characters and wacky challenges.

Released to critical acclaim in 2001, Paper Mario takes you on an exciting journey through the Mushroom Kingdom to release the Star Spirits imprisoned by a power-hungry Bowser.

Along the way you'll fight enemies in entertaining turn-based battles, team up with a variety of uniquely skilled partners, discover secret minigames and even bake a cake!

Game Review

Wii U eShop Review

Can we take a moment to appreciate just how gloriously wacky it is that a game like Paper Mario exists in the first place?
This is an idea that followed in the footsteps of Super Mario RPG, the Square/Nintendo collaboration which in itself marked a big...

Game Review

Virtual Console Review

Remember Super Mario RPG? It was basically the swansong of the SNES, and though sales for it were fairly poor (Since people had moved on to new consoles and all), the games managed to build up quite a fanbase, and is, nowadays, one of the most popular...

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There are many games that I would rather see come to the console before this one. But if it does come out, I may give it a solid try for once. I bought the game originally when a local video store went out of business (for like $5/10) but yet never really played it. I've always had a lot of other games that I wanted to play.

This game was definitely a grower for me. I was underwhelmed when I first played it, expecting a Square-style game but it has become one of my favorite N64 games. However, I lost the cartridge years ago so I'm going to drink myself to sleep now that I recalled that horrible moment.

SCkkKatTTrrRrbrain: Or maybe Nintendo will throw Europe a bone for once and release them on the same day. I wish they'd hurry up and give us something we all want... Either Paper Mario or Super Metroid.

I love the Paper Mario series, but when this game first came out I was too young to really appreciate it, so I'm eagerly awaiting the point when I can get it on VC.

Also, let me tell you here that Super Paper Mario is more than a brilliant addition to the series. Despite being almost a totally separate genre, it captures the feel of the previous games quite well, and has one of the strongest stories any video game has had for some time. You come away from it cheering for the characters and missing the ones that are gone, which is very rare.

Since I wasn't old enough to get involved in the original, I hope it proves itself to be the same way. Maybe Nintendo will do something that I know they won't and release Paper Mario and Super Metroid on the same day. Kind of like praying for a Hail Mary pass, but we can dream, can't we?

Ok.... I have no doubt in my mind Paper Mario is coming out in late June-early July in both NA and EU. <br> <br>I was really into this game. I beat it almost fifteen times! Through a bad turn of events, (house burnt down) I haven't played Paper Mario for a long, long time folks. <br> <br>And the demanding $60+ price on eBay! Thank goodness my prediction WILL come true!

Jonno, I am TERRIBLY sorry that has happened to you. Let's hope and pray that Paper Mario will arrive on the VC, especially since there's not much of a variety of N64 titles on it. Where do you live now, if I may ask?

I still have the Paper Mario cartridge lying around my bedroom somewhere. I don't play my N64 anymore but I can't bring myself to sell this cartridge. Maybe when its available as a VC download I will. I enjoy Paper Mario more than I did Super Mario RPG.

Yeah, I highly recommend this game. If you liked Super Mario RPG, then you'll love this. If you don't generally like RPG's then you'll probably still like it as this plays a little different and has puzzles in the dungeons to solve sorta like Zelda.

This happens to be my very favorite game, and I am very surprised to see it becoming available so soon. The interesting thing about it is that I'm not drawn to it by the gameplay, which is in fact pretty mediocre, but the atmosphere of all those wonderful locales. They always say graphics isn't everything, but I dare claim the very same about gameplay.

I have the original and my Wii is running out of blocks to store my VC games, but nontheless I will not hesitate for a second to download this sweetie. My N64 controller is almost unusable after all...

LOVE this game. Played and beaten it many times. Storyline is great, and gameplay is very interesting and fun. Seperate 'battles' for each foe that you face only adds on to the excitement of the game. Pretty much just an awesome game. You should definately download it if you don't already have it on N64!

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was my favourite title released for the gamecube. I've heard wonderful things about this game, too - unfortunately I was never able to play it as a kid. If they do release it on the VC, that would be a godsend because I've really wanted to play it ever since I played through PM:TTYD. If it's half as good as its successor then we're all in for a real treat.

This shows Nintendo's vision for the VC, as the release of a "non Euro" game opens the floodgates (Surely) for all manner of games. I have been looking forward to this and signifies to me what the VC is all about - games most people would never have had a chance to play (although I did not play most old games - there was no way I could afford it!).

This is probably my favorite game of all time. I've beaten it like 3 times on my N64 version and I am willing to play it FOUR more times. Do not hesitate to buy this one!......unless the Wii version has something wrong with it.

I've just downloaded this and after playing it for the first time I'm very impressed. The start of the game worried me slightly because of turn-based fights but they just add to the game's individuality and uniqueness. But the US are already gettin some great Wii games before us so it's nice for europe to catch a break.

Wow, so this has 14 full 5 star ratings? I've yet to play a Paper Mario game. I don't care if I'm not keen the RPG genre. You cannot argue against this kind of rating! I'm spending too much on the VC...

I have very faint memories of playing this on the N64. I played this game so much my parents threw it away. WAAAAAAAAAAAA! So sad "sniff". I cant wait to get this game so I can finish what I started. Those were the best 8 hours of my life! WAAAAAAAAAA......

I'd say most people would like Paper Mario even if they're not in to RPGs. I instantly downloaded this as soon as I got the chance, excellent game only surpassed by its sequel to Gamecube (have not played Super Paper Mario for wii yet)

Dazza - I am getting confused with Super Mario RPG areen't I?!! Well, there goes my argument (I will reiterate it for the aforementioend title). Its still a huge release though and I stand by my own personal reasons for this, as there was never going to be a chance of me affording N64 (or any pre 2002) games back in the day!

CowmanSR: US VC releases come out 12pm EST (I live on the Eastern coast, so yeah)

I really loved this game back on the N64, and I'm so glad it came out so soon here on Virtual Console. Although, I admit, I did not like it as much as SMRPG, but I can't really classify them together as they have completely different tones. Still great though, and a definite download!!!

I rented this game once, and the rental copy suffered from random stack overflow errors that would crash the game. I couldn't get very far before it would crash. Years later I was playing another copy that my girlfriend owns and it too crashed as a result of a stack overflow. Anyone else ever have this problem on the original system? I don't need a $10 programming nightmare. Thanks

I have been waiting for this title since I got my Wii on launch day, I just hope they don't stop putting out decent titles in the near future. Maybe we'll get Super Mario RPG soon, that would be quite a treat.

id better beat super paper mario first lol im waiting for that truly good game (goldeneye hopefully) to spend my last points on im not into the turned based battle system unless its similar to the superstar saga system which you actually do something to determine damage what is this battle system like?

the battle system is very similar to superstar saga actually, where if you time button presses correctly you can avoid or lessen damage from enemy attacks as well as increase damage you give to enemies. at the very start of the game it's not obvious but within the first hour or so you'll get the ability to do it.

I downloaded this last night because I thought Super Paper Mario looked so cool and oldschool before I even bought my Wii. I'm old enough to remember waiting in line for the original NES and right now I'm waiting for my wife to buy it for me for my birthday. In the meantime I though since this came out on VC I'd buy it to see what it's all about. At first I thought it was kind of cheesy and silly, but the more I played it the more I liked it. Now I'm pretty hooked....so it's worth the 10 bucks...just get it.

I'm having trouble downloading this from the Virtual console. I paid the 1000 points as it was removed from my balance, but the download failed half way through. I had to add another 1000 points to my balance in order to be able to even click the "download now" button again, thinking that i could re-download for free... but it won't download it keeps coming up with an error... is anyone else having this trouble? Also it keeps saying that when the transaction IS successful I will be left with 500wiipoints againt even though i have 1500wiipoints at the moment. Does this mean its going to charge me again? Can anyone help :S

(Btw i rated this game 5 stars because i had it on my N64 so i know the game really well and i really enjoyed it )

K1LLEGAL - My first attempt of downloading failed but no wii points were deducted. The second time round I made sure the wii controller was pointed at the screen the whole time, making sure the pad wouldn't fall asleep.

Almost finished replaying the thousand year door, so will be starting this shortly. Had a quick look playing the intro, and it seems just as good as I remember.

Thanks for helping Concrete Donkey (lol) but thats not the problem, because now my wii only TRYS to download the game for about literally 2 seconds before it gives up and gives me the same error again and again. Im worried that I wont be able to download it again

Yes all VC games should have the instructions downloaded with them. Start the VC game. Then hit the Home button. Then hit Operations Guide. There should be a menu with everything about the game, including controls. About Paper Mario...I played Super Paper Mario for Wii and didn't care for it. I love Mario RPG. But I never played this one or the one for Gamecube. Is it worth the download? How much like Mario RPG is it?

Great game! I've always been a big fan of the series and I'm extremely happy to have the whole collection of them back on my Wii and to be playing through the original again... I just have one question for you guys though. What's up with the spinning 'N' (Nintendo64 logo) after you return to the game from the Home Menu? It just spins there and makes me wait about 5 seconds before I can play the game again. I've never seen that with any of my other N64 VC Games! Weird...

It should be made law that every one has to play this game at least once its ace even better than the gamecube version and with improved graphics compared to the n64 cart and for only a 1000 points this has to be the bargain of the century...well done nintendo you've done us proud for once!...H@ppy G@ming mario fans!!!!!

A very good game with plenty fun gameplay. The main problem is the cliche story lines that have appeared so many times. The sequels manage to improve upon this matter, but until you play them, this is still quite the steal

As I mentioned I would back in May, I have purchased and downloaded this game and am currently giving it a good try. So far, I like it. I hate the "paper" effect and always have. I think it was one of the major reasons I have never given this game a good try.

I've been wondering... with so many parallels in storyline to Super Mario RPG (like the storyline involving Stars), I wonder if Nintendo meant for this to be a replacement, not just a sequel, to Super Mario RPG.

Nonetheless, so far, I like it, and I'll do my best to play through to the end of the game.

God I just realised I am really late to download this. Everyone already has it. I have never played Super Mario RPG (It didnt come out in Europe) and have never played any Paper Mario games before. I have heard nothing bad about it so I thought 'What the hell? £7 is money well spent" And downloaded it about 3 hours ago. I cant wait to get into it. After I have completed it (If I do, that is), I will try and find PM: TTYD, and buy Super Paper Mario, although I hear its not as good. Hardcore Gamer, -Tom- Age 13.

PS: Is there a percentage counter that tells you how much of the game you have completed? Cheers

This is the first Paper Mario game I have played. It's really good. The one thing that does get annoying is that there is so much reading. It's a good game though with really good gameplay. If you like Final Fantasy, you will like this. If you don't like Final Fantasy but like Mario, you will like it.

This game is great. Hadn't tried this series before, but after playing Paper Mario, I have to hunt down the other games as well. Believe it people. The multiple 5 star ratings on this site is justified.

Right now, I feel that Paper Mario is THE must-have game on the VC. In fact I think I enjoy the original PM more than Super Paper Mario. The RPG elements are fun and simple, the storyline is nice, and at the time this game was really original, and that originality still holds up today(even with the PM sequels). Overall, its a great game, and I think everyone needs to download it to their VC libraries...no exceptions...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

this is gonna be my first vc game.( i just got wifi so i can download it! w00t! too bad my connection is just to slow to do mario strikers online...) either way i never bought the game but i played it at my cousins house and i loved it. just didnt' get it cuz the n64 had no life left to it at that point.

Hmm not overly impressed. Spent my last 1k points on it for the month. Lots and lots and ... lots of talking in this game (did I say "lots"? Quadruple that!). Turn based battles are sucky. I like RPGs but not this one. Frankly, I am suspicious of the unadulterated praise in the above reviews.

Ray: You propably played it for 15 minutes, the battle system isn't so much turn based because you can do action commands to dodge enemy attacks and do more damage.

It doesn't even have much talk, I mean compare this to any PC RGP (fallout comes to mind) and it doesn't have 1/100 of the speech it has. And most of the suff is hilarious to read, so I really don't know what you are complaining about.

If you really want not to like it you are gonna have to do better than that!

I have it for the N64. This game is very easy, but definitly worth 10$ for the time you'll spend on it. It's not very old either, so 10 bucks is awsome bargain for that game. I always thought this was the best Paper Mario they made.

I now have all the Papaer Mario games!!! Although Super Paper Mario was a bit of a disappointment (It's really good, but I prefer the older system - plus, Chapter 4 SUCKS! =( ), this reminded me why I love Paper Mario in the first place. I've now completed it, and am now playing the Thousand Year Door. Even if you don't generally like RPGs, I recommend this to everyone due to the user friendly battle system and exploration. P.S. Sorry for the long post

This game is ten times better than Super Paper Mario. Now between this and The Thousand Year Door?, I actually like them both equally. I'm sorry to say this but Super Paper Mario is not worth the money. It is worth a rent, though.

When you complete the game and get the end screen do you have to reset the console? I wanted to save after I'd beaten the last boss so I could go back and do all the mini quests but it didn't budge from the "the end" screen. If this is so it's a pain! Don't know if I can be bothered to backtrack all the way from the last save point in the game!

This is the best AUD$15 you could spend on the virtual console, I reckon. Thousand Year Door was my introduction to Paper Mario and I absolutely loved it. Playing through the original Paper Mario on VC was just as much fun.

Ive had this game for about a month and i must say its a surprisingly solid rpg! I believe its equally as good as the thousand year door. It has cute yet lush graphics, and humorus dialogue, and catchy music that isnt annoying. This is a good deal at 1000 wii points. And should keep you busy for about three months (if your skilled :0)

This is the first serious turn based RPG I've ever played for more than a few hours. I found it to be a really good introduction to genre.

I recommend anyone who has been put off turn-based RPG's because of the complexity or the lack of action to give this game a try.

There are lots of tough decisions to make when you level up or buy badges but the system isn't overly confusing. The way you have to perform actions on the controller in time with attacks and blocks really brings the battles to life and make it a blend of skill and tactics. Sometimes a good tactic can be compromised by failing to get the action spot on.

I have noticed the battles against mixed enemy types tend to be a lot more fun and allow for some pretty ingenious strategies compared to the rather drab single enemy-type battles. I imagine they increase in frequency as you the learning curve increases.

Oh and don't stress too much about wether or not to upgrade your HP, FP or BP at the start. You find some badges early on that essentially allow you to swap the upgrade equivalent of HP for FP or BP.

This was the first game I've played in the Paper Mario series. I was pleasantly surprised--I liked it much more than I thought I would. I recommend it to any fans of turn-based RPG's. It is enjoyable from the beginning to the end.

Oh. My. God. This was my FAVORITE game for the N64 (and I have some goodies...Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Pokemon Stadium, Kirby 64, Smash Bros., etc.) and I LOVE it! This is the only game I've ever played and I just started bawling because I remember the amazing, childhood days of playing this. DOWNLOAD THIS NOW!

EASY FIVE STARS! This game is fantastic. I still have the cart, but I bought this on VC for the sake of convenience, and I have no regrets. Since starting a new file, I remember why I spent so much time on this game. There is no excuse not to buy this! For 1000 Wii points, it is about the best deal on VC. Great deal of RPG with platforming peppered in, which is Super Paper Mario inverted. Both are great. On a side note, it is interesting that every Paper Mario is playable on Wii. Anyway, buy now.

Maybe it's my loss, but I couldn't get into this game though I stuck it out to the end. Long before it released it was dubbed "Super Mario RPG 2," which got me excited. But compared to the superlative Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario plays like a baby game with the most incredibly simple battle system I've ever seen in an RPG to the point of feeling like you're trading punches (attacks) with practically no room for genuine strategy. The visual style was all right to me, even if--completely unlike Super Mario RPG--it is extremely light on taking any chances, innovations, or creativity with the Mario universe that we've seen/experienced a thousand times already. (On a sidenote, I felt Nintendo trying to redeem this particular fault with some new stuff in "Mario and Luigi")

On the other hand, I guess the game is nice and low-key, and the easy accessibility and family-friendly atmosphere can feel like a breath of fresh air these days (isn't pretty much every high-profile title M-rated these days? Sheesh). But it's sheer lack of ambition almost breaks it in many aspects in my opinion (the pedestrian story, locations, and battle system).

Points for charm, low-intensity (though consequently kind of boring) stuff. It's not bad--especially for ten bucks--and I actually still strongly recommend it especially because games (or media in general, for that matter) with such innocence seem to come so seldom in recent times, but I do believe Mario's career as an RPG character have seen better times. 4/5

This game is awesome. Just downloaded it to night. I never played it for the 64, didn't think I would like it and I thought the graphics would be cheap also. Boy was I wrong! The graphics are awesome and saving the princess never gets old. I'm only about 2 hours in, but it is so fun so far. Must have as far as I'm concerned. Now I'm gonna have to play the Gamecube Paper Mario when I finish this one. Oh, how the money leaves my pockets

Yeah this game is great this was the first time I played it and ht's awesome. But It's the worst in the series. For me it goes super paper mario thousand year door then paper mario. Or maybe the original beats the second I dunno

Quite possibly my favourite game, and the reason for the 'paper' in my name. Yet I never actually owned the game, and (most) rental stores stopped carrying N64 games years ago... I'm going to download this as soon as I get a classic controller.

This is a kind of a no-brainer game to get even if you aren't an RPG fan. I'll have to agree with the commenter above; it's the best game I've gotten on the VC so far. It's long, humorous, and downright fun. I'd even say it's better than both its Gamecube and Wii (half-brother) iterations. Get it.

Paper Mario is simply great. It's the fourth best game I own for my Wii behind Super Mario Galaxy, Wario Ware Smooth Moves, and Super Mario 64. At just $10 it's a bargain; I got 50 hours of addictive game play out of it before saving Peach. I probably could have gotten 70+ hours out of it if I had more aggressively pursued side missions and explorations. There is great character development and pacing to the game. My only complaint is that some of the side missions can be a bit tedious and pointless. Although, some of the side missions are also quite interesting. The core of the game is great and you can have a lot of fun with this even if you pay little attention to the side missions. After playing this, I can't wait to pick up Super Paper Mario.

I had never played this game until last friday (feb. 8th 2008), I must admit I'm hooked!!! I'm almost finished with it, and I know for sure I'll be getting the second one for GC after this one and then the wii one... Very very nice discovery for me. That's what I love about the VC, you get to try out some games you never had a chance to play, or you replay classics!

Hmm I am a huge fan of Mario RPG, I like all the RPG elements, turned based fighting with 3 characters..from the reading it seems that this game may have lightened up on the RPG elements...so I am still unsure if I want to spend 10 dollars or not..

This game is a great RPG. the battle system is quite good, the story is great, funny and clever and the Graphics are nicely done. The was first game i downloaded and i haven't regretted that decision, i embraced it.

My first and so far only, VC title. It took me about a month to beat, so you get your money out of it,as its about 20 hrs long. I enjoyed the combat too and the graphics reminded me of the good ol' days...I guess they were good. 5 stars, but its as big a download as the Internet Channel. (200-250 blocks)

Just downloaded it. First time play for me. So far its impressive. The fun factor actually increases along with the story, so if you're someone who's just started to play- it does get better. Not sure what my opinion of the whole is yet; of course, I'll figure that out once I beat the thing.

I got really glad when I saw Paper Mario coming out on the VC, because I didn't find it for the N64 when it was supposed to hit the shelves. Anyway, I think the first Paper Mario is the best of the series, and I highly recommend it to any gamer.

I don't understand why everyone on this thread is so down on Super Paper Mario! It's definitely one of the top five games released for the Wii so far. It's just hard to compare it to Paper Mario directly, as they are surprisingly different games. I am of the opinion that they are both excellent in their own right, and until I play both again I can't really say I have a favorite of the two.

@2hip2beskware this is very similar, but don't be thrown when you can't use your timed button presses to do extra damage... that comes a little while in.
To everyone else who doesn't own this already, DOWNLOAD IT NOW! And then buy the GC sequel Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door because it IS THE best game on GC.
Oh, be warned though, Super Paper Mario is warm sloppy dog poo.

@2hip2beskware again.Sorry I missunderstood your question. TTYD is direct sequel and very close to PM64 but TTYD rocks SOOO much harder. Thats why newbies should play PM64 on VC first & then track down TTYD on GC. PM64 is an awesome game, but TTYD leaves it in the dust.

@konkerdoodle: "I don't understand why everyone on this thread is so down on Super Paper Mario!" Because it is strictly inferior to it's first two incarnations (not counting Super Mario RPG) and frankly the biggest disappointment on the Wii so far.

This is a very good game and certainly worth the download. Thousand Year Door is a better game, but you cannot get it for 1000 Wii points.

even though i think paper mario the thousand year door is a five and better, paper mario for the n64 is also a great game. paper mario for the n64 is 5 star. paper mario definitely one of the best n64 and vc game.

Easily the greatest game on the vc.whether you've played the sequels or not, download now!Gameplay 9/10Audio 8.5/10Graphics 9/10Lasting appeal 10/10 (Longest VC game that held my attention to defeat: about 8-9 hrs or even more if you read all the dialogue)Overall 9.5/10

@WoRMaSTeR: GameInformer gave Super Paper Mario a 9.5, IGN an 8.9, GameSpot an 8.8, and GameSpy a four out of five stars. I'm not saying everyone should change their opinion of the game, I'm just saying that this seems to be the only website where the people consistently hate Super Paper Mario...

I own all three Paper Mario games, and this is awesome. I don't know if TTYD is better, but I haven't quite beaten it yet (I have the to find that elusive bob-omb to fire me to the moon). I need to beat TTYD. For some reason, I haven't beaten TTYD or SPM, but I am on the final part of both! I am on World 8-3 on SPM. I love the 64 version, and I have beaten it, but I downloaded it again for convenience and more save files. It is a blast to replay since I probably haven't played it since 2002. I don't know why everyone dislikes SPM. It is an awesome blend of platforming and RPG, it is the funniest so far, and you can play as Luigi! Sorry, I think Luigi is awesome... They need to make a level in some Mario game where Luigi races a bullet bill to a star by using his Green Missile from Smash. Sorry, most of that paragraph was totally unrelated. Anyway, this may be the best N64 game. Oh, and Ocarina fans, first of all, a Link to the Past is better, secondly, I'm a Mario fanboy, don't even try to sway me. This game is 100% recommended.

I don't understand why everyone on this thread is so down on Super Paper Mario!Its dull. First time I started, I almost got bored enough to turn it off before I could actually play - the intro was so long and boring. There are also several other places in the game that made me want to give up because I just couldn't be bothered continuing. But I eventually did and I am currently in space... I haven't touched the game in a few months.

Note to everyone: Just because SPM is very different doesn't mean it sucks. It is not Paper Mario-ish really. But it's still pretty good. I will take its prequels over it though.@couthedman92 You hate Luigi's Mansion? That makes me sad. I just replayed it and still enjoy it as much as I did at launch back in 2001. Even if I did beat it in about 5 hours.

This game is probably the best RPG on the VC (BoF2 is pretty close). Oh, and Objection_Blaster, I have played Luigi's Mansion as well and yes, it does suck. The only good thing to come from it was the Poltergust Kart on Mario Kart DS. I PWNED with that thing.

I had to move Sin & Punishment AND Toki Tori to an SD card to make room for this one (it took forever), but it was all worth it! It's one of my favorite VC games as of now, right up there w/ Super Metroid and Gunstar Heroes and the like. It's inferior to TTYD in my opinion, but I do like how this game doesn't have audience you need to please all the time. "I'm trying to decide between a jump attack or the hammer! Stop throwing rocks at me!"

One thing that really annoys me about this game is how Mario is the only one who can take damage and use items. I tend to die a lot more in this game than TTYD, since I can't put an ally in front to guard me, and I can't use Mario's supermoves as often since I have to occaisionally waste attacking opportunities to use items.

This game is one of my favoritest RPG's of all time! It was devilishly simple to pick up and was suprisingly complex. The Cooking system alone brought hours of entertainment. I loved the battle system, and it was the first time I found a turn-based battle system to be fun, and the only one until its sequel.

The badges were one of the more unique parts, as instead of increasing stats, they instill important effects or imbue special attacks, and since you can only equip a certain amount that's dictated by the amount of BP you have, so you have to think hard about what badges you want/need to equip.

The leveling system was also surprisingly deep considering it was an RPG for beginners - when you collect 100 star points, you level up, and then you have to choose which of the three stats you want to increase, and you really have to think about it, it's "do I want to increase my health so I could survive more attacks, do I want to increase FP so I can use more Special Attacks, or do I want to increase my BP, so I can equip more badges?" You have to think long and hard about your decision, and affects you as you go on, and enemies give less and less star points as you level up, eventually to the point were they don't give any star points at all, so you might not be able to go back and level up against weaker enemies if you get stuck, so it's better to pick the right stats to increase when you level up.

I love this game, in fact the only game that out does it for me is it's sequel and Partners in Time, and even still this game is quite enjoyable. I haven't played too many RPG's to be honest with you, and it would be nice to hear of a game better than this, but until then, I'm holding this stance - The Mario RPGs are the best RPGs ever!!!!!

Edit: And another hasty comment that I wrote while under the influence of nostalgia, although this isn't as bad as the others.

While it isn't nearly as complex as I made it out to be, it is a very enjoyable game, and definitely one of my favorites.

First I've played The Thousand Year Door on Gamecube, and I loved it. I still play it these days sometimes. Of course I downloaded the original Paper Mario and it was good too, but I'm stuck at that Volcano level but what the heck, I'll get out of it someday:p. To conclusion a really good game, I must-download for the Virtual Console

The first thing I thought when I saw this for the first time as a present when I was younger was "Mario in a RPG?" (I had never played The Super Nintendo Mario RPG). I really didn't think it would work or would be fun. Boy was I wrong, this game is a must for RPG and Mario fans.

Never finished this before I dumped the N64. I gotta get this for VC!!! I plan on getting the Wii version and maybe the GC version too, so why not the whole series with the start? Will Mario RPG ever come out?

I didn't think Super Paper Mario was all that great. It seriously lacked the charm and appeal from the previous two games in my opinion. I gave up during the space section because i just kept getting lost and really bored.

"The first thing I thought when I saw this for the first time as a present when I was younger was "Mario in a RPG?" (I had never played The Super Nintendo Mario RPG). I really didn't think it would work or would be fun."

Yeah, Mario in an RPG? What's next - Sonic the Hedgehog wearing armor and carrying a sword!?

@HaruhikoI feel you, man. It took me a long time to get into this game, even as a big fan of SMRPG. The oversimplified design (only two party members at a time in battle, no weapons to equip, the list goes on...) really turned me off at first. My first RPG was FF1, so 10 or 15 years later, this definately felt like a step back. But to the game's credit, I must admit that the longer I stick with the game, the more addictive it becomes. Just stick with it, maybe it will grow on you.

Also, I'm all for a complex RPG (I loved the over the top 'magic equipping' system from FF8), but a super complex RPG like, say, valkyrie profile, becomes just as unengaging to me as a super simple one. So, though I enjoyed SMRPG much more, I don't hate on Paper Mario for trying to appeal to a more general audience.

Actually, of the series, so far I like Super Paper Mario the best. The worst thing about it is that it is SO text heavy, but on the upside it is more involving, with tons of platforming elements to keep me happy. Its charming and inventive with the play on 2/D and 3/d effects.

Well, I finished Paper Mario a while ago and it WAS entertaining- yes. Its a solid game but as I play through SM RPG right now, I realize that it is the superior game even though its not part of the trilogy. The one thing I dislike most about Paper Mario games is the lack of extra combatants. I like having a party to use, not Mario and some random "thing".

Just beat Paper Mario a few minutes ago. I gotta say, while it was a little easy, and I still favor SMRPG, the game is pure quality. Highly recommended if you're looking for a casual/relaxed 20 hour game.

I have all three Paper Mario games, and I have finished them all. Knowing this, I would say that this is almost, if not just as good as The Thousand Year Door.

There are a ton of good things about this game, and only two bad things in my opinion. They are: 1. This game was short. 2. When you finish the game it does not let you save, and so when you finish the game there are no extras that you can do or unlock. Other than those two things it is a very good game.

I wouldn't call this game "easy" but I wouldn't call it "hard" either. There are some points that make you so mad because you can't beat a certain boss or whatever, and then at other points your dissapointed when something was just to easy. Now, I have had this game on the virtual console since 2007, or when it was released, and so when I say this you know that I know what I'm talking about.

The First game i downloaded was certainly one of the best ones, alongside SMRPG, Sin and Punishment, Super Mario Bros 3, Bomberman '93 and Soldier Blade (I Have Loads, had to clear out 7 Games and Mii Contest Channel).

I Love the sense of humor the game has in particular and it's a solid RPG. It is a great but not greater follow up to SMRPG in my Opinion and i would easily say that it's one of Mario's greatest games, top 10 at least.

i got into this one after having played super paper mario. This one is way superior. on xmas i'll reward myself with the gamecube version. The best thing about those paper mario games is that kids (if you have any) just love watching someone play. Our 4 year old has so much excitment for the story. Great game for snes-lapsed-gamer generation

This is brilliant. I didn't "get" this game when I was a kid. It was too complicated for me. This is probably the best virtual console game I've bought thus far (and I've bought many). If you're wondering weather to get this or super mario rpg, I'd go with this one. It's easier to get into and much more fun.

Here's a question: Are Mario RPG's good? Well, do they sound good? Not...really...Did Nintendo care? NO! They made it anyway! A lot of gaming companies made games even though they sounded stupid at the time, but you know what? The Mario RPGs basically say this, "Just because it sound's stupid, doesn't mean it is!" I was born in 1993 and therefore I never owned a Super Nintendo so I never played Super Mario RPG. I did however own a Nintendo 64. I rented this game at a rental store and loved it so much I wanted to not return it, but BUY it! And we did! This was the first RPG and therefore my first Mario RPG I ever played, and I gotta be honest, it survives the test of time. I beat it all over again recently and had almost as much fun! I love this game so much. The main thing I love about it though, is that it tells you that graphics just ain't everything about the game? It may be in 3D but the battles aren't and neither are the characters, well...most of them. I like it better than Super Mario RPG, because their styles are actually pretty different, but they are both epic, so get this game. 5/5. I wish I could give it a 8/5, but I can't.

I feel as though it was a slight step down from Mario RPG, just because there was only one partner on the side and no square characters. The game also dragged a bit for me, while Mario RPG was very fast paced.

Eh it was still okay, First Strike IS awesome. I also like the graphics more.

I like this better than Super Mario RPG. This game has witty dialogue, brilliant puzzles and a unique theme. "Paper Mario" Where do they come up with this stuff? Anyway, This game is fantastic and if you've never played it you NEED to get this. It's one of the best RPGs of all time. I've played every Paper Mario game and this is the best one. (With Thousand Year Door a close 2nd)

idk if i should get it, i have paper mario 2 for the gamecube (love the game, 2nd favorite game of all time) and i already beat it but this looks so similar so its kinda hard to choose whether to buy it or not

I got Paper Mario TYD after being disappointed at the lack of traditional elements in Sunshine. I got hooked on TYD and eventually got Super Paper Mario and have since downloaded Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG. I even have M&L Partners In Time

Anything from £60 if you try to buy the original cart for N64 (if you can find it), so for 1000 points this ia an absolute bargain. The fact that its so awesome is just another reason to download it. I think for anyone who loved Thousand Year Door, or any of the GBA/DS Mario RPGs, then this is a must-have.

Ahhh, Paper Mario....I rented this game when I was a kid so much that it wasn't even funny. It was the first RPG I played, enjoyed, and beaten. It is one of my favorite RPGs, and it is an absolute steal just for 1000 points.

This is one of the best games for the nitendo 64. I would rent it so often that I might as well as owned it unfortunatley it was taken off the shelves to rent before i ever beat it so I've been looking for it for a long time but only just now found it again

Sorry about my reply that said "IT'S GREAT." to luigiman2. I guess that it's only that person's opinion. Sorry.

Anyway, my proper comment on this truly amazing N64 game, let's start. The first time I tried this game out was on the Project64 emulator (not really good) back in 2008 after I watched all about I think 86 videos from whatever that person's called again on YouTube. After that I decide I want to load up the Project64 emulator and give my first try on this game. Yes folks, I never played this game before in the past when I was a kid (I'm 14). And then another thing is that I wanted to get back to the UK to get my first ever Nintendo Wii console. I waited about 10 days to get my Internet connection up and running again. And then I finally got the game with PERFECT emulation. I also looked up on the Nintendo Channel to see my Game-Play Record. I think it said I played about probably 78 times.

So there you go, that was my story when I gave this game my first try on the stinkin' Project64 emulator. I'm never touching that horrible emulator on the PC again. What a waste.

I got another story to tell. About its sequel; The Thousand-Year Door.

I played this game about 7 times. But after I got back to the UK, and after I beated this on the Virtual Console for about 4 times, I decide yet again to go to Entertainment Exchange in Maidstone. I picked up the sequel which is my first ever GCN title, The Thousand-Year Door. I was playing that awesome game on the GCN and going through out it until I was stuck in some parts of the game. No guys, I'm not relating that to the Super Paper Mario puzzles, I'm saying that I got stuck in some parts of Paper Mario: TTYD. For an example: do you know about that you need to roll and squeeze through that thing in the X-Naut Fortress? Yeah that. THAT was the difficult segment/part of that game. Anyway, onto my story, I finally got to the hardest (but funnest) Shadow Queen final boss. I was doing pretty good and BEATEN! There you go, The Thousand-Year Door finally done!

I do know Super Paper Mario didn't really live up to the original two. Don't give me wrong, I know that I love that game. But it probably didn't even live up anyways. It was also way too easy to beat. Well... the only hard thing I found in Super Paper Mario was the Flipside and Flopside Pit of 100 Trials challenges (which was extremely challenging and difficult).

Okay, that's my story for this and TTYD. I maybe want to come back and do this game again. I haven't played it for ages and ages since I'm doing TTYD at the moment. This, TTYD and SPM are fantastic games and they always still will be.

is this still on wii's VC? cuz they remove lots of games lately, even with nintendo copyrights

i cant get my wii to work atm, gotta look for the cause of that, once i done it, i'll buy this game as my last bought game from a console, since mostly they have motion games, which my handicaps cant handle

and its the last game i could buy with the few points i have left, so gotta hurry up before the weeyuu destroys all of the wii's VC

ok, i got it, yay, will play later

question before i do, is it timed in battles, like FF games... when you wait too long you get hit... that stuff?

I downloaded this from Virtual Console. I still havn't completed it. Frankly, it hasn't been that great! The concept of Mario becoming paper thin, is not exciting. I like the free feeling associated with Mario games, being able to jump around and move is exciting. This game takes away all that, but it is pretty to look at.